SWEETWATER HIGHLIGHTS OCTOBER 12, 2015
SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE On Saturday evening, the 25th Annual Salute to Teachers event was held at the Balboa Theater downtown San Diego. The house was packed and everyone who a@ended purposefully went to celebrate, acknowledge and cheer on our county Teacher of the Year nominees. There were 44 nominees and Sweetwater sent five teachers forward. They are Laurie Baker-‐Worthington – HTM; Blakeslee DeMsch – MoM; Diane Ince – CPM; Armando Leon – MVA; and Gale Marshburn – SYH. At the end of the evening, one of our own, Armando Leon, was selected as one of five San Diego County Teachers of the Year. CongratulaMons to all nominees and Teacher of the Year Mr. Leon! All research conducted around student achievement cites the classroom teacher as the most significant factor that impacts student learning. I love those bumper sMckers that say, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” Yes, teachers are responsible for educaMng our naMon. Yes, teachers impart knowledge, criMcal thinking skills, and the environment that is conducive to creaMvity. And teachers care about sharing that knowledge with students. But, teachers also care about the relaMonal aspect of teaching. Teachers take Mme to establish a trusMng and caring connecMon with their students, who in turn become more recepMve to
what’s being taught! Teachers take the Mme to get to know their student’s interests, talents and needs, that helps them prepare lessons and helps students feel the partnership of the learning experience. We all know and can name a favorite teacher, a teacher who inspired and moMvated us to become the best we can be. I encourage you to make Mme to send a note, an email, a FB message to that very special teacher who posiMvely impacted your life. I would like to call out some of mine: from Palomar Elementary – Mrs. Johnson, my kindergarten teacher and Mrs. Tecker, my 6th grade teacher who inspired me to become a teacher. From Castle Park Jr. High – Mr. David Knight, Mrs. Frances King, and Mrs. Nancy Rinner; from Bonita Vista Jr. High – Mr. Bob Strickler, Mrs. Dorothy Murphy and Mr. Warren Hermann; from Bonita Vista HS – Mrs. Elaine Wa@, Mrs. Carol O’Connell and Mr. George Clayton. These teachers had a very powerful impact on me personally and professionally. Each of these teachers found a way to connect with me as a student and moMvated me to do my best academically while communicaMng that they cared about me personally. Hats off to all of our Sweetwater teachers for the ways you build our student’s habits of mind and help to inspire students through developing habits of the heart! ConMnued on Page 2
PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT The Board of Trustees adopted a resolution to negotiate the terms of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for school construction, repairs and renovation done using Prop O or Mello-Roos CFD dollars. The district believes that the use of a PLA will ensure that the interests of the community are met. These interests include completion of projects on time, promotion of opportunities for local workers and small businesses, and involvement of state-approved joint labor apprenticeship programs. By approving this resolution staff will begin the process of negotiation. Final PLA approval will be brought to the trustees at a
Last meeMng I menMoned we are revisiMng the LCAP process over the month of October. We held our first Trustee area LCAP Stakeholder meeMng last week at CVM. Over 120 students, parents and staff from SUHI, GJ, NCM, CVH, CVM and CVA parMcipated in lively discussion focused on our new goals. We learned that our stakeholders were excited about sharing their ideas and we found out we needed a li@le more Mme than planned to listen to those ideas. As a reminder our goals are: ★ 1. Ensure excellence in Teaching and Learning so each student is prepared to succeed in college and career. ★ 2. Create a safe and healthy learning environment by building a culture of equity and a posiMve climate that promotes excellence throughout the district. ★ 3. Foster and honor parent and community engagement to support excellence in student success. ★ 4. Develop coherent and transparent systems for operaMonal excellence. The next meeMng for Trustee Area 2 will be hosted Oct. 22 at BVM and includes, BVH, BVM, HH, HM, CVA, Palomar and OSS. We hope you will join us. All this informaMon, including the dates of the trustee
Recognition of Otay Ranch High School Yearbook Staff for their Award-Winning Yearbook for the 2014-2015 school year.
area meeMngs will be shared with you through our district website as well as your school. We are confident that our plan will be@er serve our students when we all parMcipate in the conversaMon together. Finally, the Board of Trustees and I want staff, students, parents and community to know that showing up each day to work in our district ma@ers. Staff presence makes a difference for overall student well being whether you are a teacher, counselor, support staff, administrator or district office employee. In an effort to recognize and acknowledge that “showing up every day” is appreciated, every staff member who had PERFECT ATTENDANCE for the first nine weeks of school – July 20 – September 18 – is receiving a cerMficate of achievement this week. How many staff or what percentage would you predict came to work every day schools were in session? 1%, 5 or 10%, more than 50%? Well, we had 1103 employees who had perfect a@endance and we applaud and thank you for your dedicaMon and commitment. We plan to conMnue this recogniMon of staff every nine weeks. So, if you didn’t make it the first quarter, I encourage you to make it the second quarter. CongratulaMons to all perfect a@enders! Thank you for the opportunity to serve and
Recognition of staff who helped coordinate a successful College Fair at Montgomery High School on Monday, October 5th
Presentation of Resolution to the American Heart Association and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation
